IPitch is an online community which helps Australian startups and investors stay connected

Another Aussie presenting on the Demo Pit floor of TechCrunch50 2009 was MyinfoQ. The application allows a user to text in information about anything (their tag line is “tagging the real world”) they see and want to remember, revisit and learn more about. The idea is that is saves time searching, not to mention brain power for remembering. Co-founder Paul Voulas explained that the system is made to work with the gamut of phones and isn’t dependent on a user having a smart phone (because contrary to the beliefs of most techies, not EVERYONE has a smart phone.)

One of the heavy hitters in the web world, Facebook took the TechCrunch stage on day two to explain how and why startups should use Facebook Connect. Facebook employee Justin Osofsky explained how the universal log-in system gives startups the power to share information on a massive network, with the advantages of not requiring a separate registration process. Not to mention the proven jumps in page views and traffic that some of the 15,000 sites currently using Facebook Connect have experienced. To prove their point they brought along one of the founders of comedy site Jib Jab, who explained that while it concerned them at first to outsorce things to Facebook, it was easier than reinventing the wheel and ultimately earned the company more business.

Finally the day closed with a chat with Hamish Hawthorn of Sydney’s ATP Innovations. Housed in a former train station, ATP Innovations is a collaborative effort of four Australian universities and works like an incubator for ICT, life science, electronics and internet businesses. Hamish, the organization’s CEO, was brought to TechCrunch50 to explore possible additions to the program, explain to investors the innovations come out of Australia and learn more from the pros. You can find out more from Hamish on the challenges he sees for Aussie startups in the US in his IPitch interview below.

• Tweet